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New Speaker shakes up Mississippi House...

New Speaker shakes up Mississippi House committees

By: Jeremy Pittari ,    Sarah Ulmer - January 12, 2024

Speaker White tax reform

Mississippi House Speaker Jason White, R-West, reminds lawmakers of the swearing into office ceremony of statewide officials, Thursday, during a joint session of the Mississippi Legislature, as work concludes on Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2024, in the House Chamber at the Mississippi State Capitol in Jackson, Miss. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Changes to chairmanships on Education, Corrections and more highlight the list of appointments announced by the new Speaker on Friday.

Speaker of the House Jason White (R) has shaken up the chairmanships for committees in the Mississippi House of Representatives for the new term. The appointments were announced during Friday’s session.

“It is with great pride that I announce the House leadership team for the next four years,” Speaker White said on Friday in a statement. “The selections for Chairs and Vice Chairs directly reflect our desire and drive to elevate Mississippi.”

White said he was enthusiastic to work with the Republican, Democrat, and Independent Chairs and Vice Chairs to address “our State’s challenges and opportunities through a conservative lens to build a better, brighter Mississippi.” 

One of the largest changes include four additional “sub-committees” to the Appropriations committee, which has now been named Appropriations A. While Chairman John Read (R) will remain over the head money committee, the four new committees will be chaired by Rep. Scott Bounds (Committee B), Rep. Clay Deweese (Committee C), Rep. Sam Mims (Committee D), Rep. Karl Oliver (Committee E). All are Republicans.

It should also be noted as part of a rule change made on January 5th, there will be no vice chairmanships in the four new Appropriations Committees B through E. Other changes in the rules can be found here.

Another new committee – State Affairs – will be chaired by Rep. Hank Zuber (R).

Shake ups also occurred in Accountability and Transparency with Rep. Kevin Ford (R) taking the seat as Chairman. Elections will now be chaired by Rep. Noah Sanford (R) and Corrections is now under Rep. Becky Currie (R) and Vice Chair Charles Young (D).

The House Education Committee will no longer be chaired by Rep. Richard Bennett (R). Bennett moves to chair Public Properties. The Education Committee will now be overseen by Rep. Rob Roberson (R) with Rep. Kent McCarty (R) returning as vice-chair.

Both Judiciary A and B committees saw chairman changes as well as Transportation and Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks.

Speaker White appointed four Democratic chairmen to House committees.

The full list of the 49 committee chairmen and vice chairmen can be found below:

Accountability, Efficiency, Transparency

Chair: Kevin Ford
Vice Chair: Daryl Porter 

Agriculture  

Chair: Bill Pigott 
Vice Chair: Vince Mangold

Apportionment and Elections 

Chair: Noah Sanford 
Vice Chair: Mark Tullos 

Appropriations A 

Chair: John Read
Vice Chair: Angela Cockerham 

Appropriations B 

Chair: C. Scott Bounds

Appropriations C 

Chair: Clay Deweese

Appropriations D

Chair: Sam C. Mims, V

Appropriations E 

Chair: Karl Oliver

Banking and Financial Services 

Chair: Shane Aguirre 
Vice Chair: Andy Boyd 

Business and Commerce 

Chair: Lee Yancey 
Vice Chair: Billy Adam Calvert 

Conservation and Water Resources 

Chair: Timmy Ladner
Vice Chair: Josh Hawkins 

Constitution 

Chair: Price Wallace 
Vice Chair: Cheikh Taylor 

Corrections 

Chair: Becky Currie 
Vice Chair: Charles Young, Jr.

County Affairs 

Chair: Larry Byrd 
Vice Chair: Troy Smith

Drug Policy 

Chair: Stacey Hobgood-Wilkes 
Vice Chair: Christopher M. Bell

Education 

Chair: Rob Roberson 
Vice Chair: Kent McCarty

Energy 

Chair: Jeff Hale 
Vice Chair: Tracey T. Rosebud

Enrolled Bills 

Chair: Stephen A. Horne 
Vice Chair: Rickey Thompson

Ethics 

Chair: Vince Mangold 
Vice Chair: Percy W. Watson

Executive Contingent Fund 

Chair: Carolyn Crawford 
Vice Chair: Hester Jackson McCray 

Forestry

Chair: Ken Morgan
Vice Chair: Jonathan McMillan

Gaming 

Chair: Casey Eure 
Vice Chair: Jay McKnight

Housing 

Chair: Carl Mickens 
Vice Chair: Orlando Paden

Insurance 

Chair: Jerry R. Turner 
Vice Chair: William Tracy Arnold

Interstate Cooperation 

Chair: Cedric Burnett 
Vice Chair: Robert L. Sanders 

Investigative State Office 

Chair: Randy P. Boyd 
Vice Chair: Dan Eubanks 

Judiciary A 

Chair: Joey Hood 
Vice Chair: Shanda Yates

Judiciary B 

Chair: Kevin Horan 
Vice Chair: Jansen Owen

Local and Private 

Chair: Shane Barnett 
Vice Chair: John W. Hines, Sr. 

Management 

Chair: Manly Barton 
Vice Chair: Steve Massengill 

Marine Resources 

Chair: Brent Anderson 
Vice Chair: Jeffrey Hulum III

Medicaid 

Chair: Missy McGee 
Vice Chair: Clay Mansell

Military Affairs 

Chair: Lester Carpenter 
Vice Chair: Rodney Hall

Municipalities 

Chair: Randy Rushing 
Vice Chair: Ronnie C. Crudup

Ports, Harbors, and Airports 

Chair: Jeffrey S. Guice 
Vice Chair: Willie Bailey

Public Health and Human Services 

Chair: Sam Creekmore IV 
Vice Chair: Kevin Felsher 

Public Property 

Chair: Richard Bennett 
Vice Chair: Gene Newman 

Public Utilities 

Chair: Brent Powell 
Vice Chair: Jonathan Ray Lancaster 

Rules 

Chair: Fred Shanks 
Vice Chair: Bryant W. Clark

State Affairs 

Chair: Henry Zuber III 
Vice Chair: Robert L. Johnson III 

State Library 

Chair: Karl Gibbs 
Vice Chair: Stephanie Foster 

Technology 

Chair: Jill Ford 
Vice Chair: John G. Faulkner 

Tourism 

Chair: Greg Haney 
Vice Chair: Oscar Denton

Transportation 

Chair: Steve Massengill 
Vice Chair: Joseph Tubb

Universities and Colleges 

Chair: Donnie Scoggin 
Vice Chair: Gregory Holloway, Sr. 

Ways and Means 

Chair: Trey Lamar 
Vice Chair: Jody Steverson

Wildlife Fisheries and Parks 

Chair: Bill Kinkade 
Vice Chair: Jimmy Fondren 

Workforce Development 

Chair: Donnie Bell 
Vice Chair: Dana McLean

Youth and Family Affairs 

Chair: Otis Anthony
Vice Chair: Kabir Karriem 

A full list of the House committee assignments is below:

About the Author(s)
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Jeremy Pittari

Jeremy Pittari is a lifelong resident of the Gulf Coast. Born and raised in Slidell, La., he moved to South Mississippi in the early 90s. Jeremy earned an associate in arts from Pearl River Community College and went on to attend the University of Southern Mississippi, where he earned a bachelor's of arts in journalism. A week after Hurricane Katrina, he started an internship as a reporter with the community newspaper in Pearl River County. After graduation, he accepted a full-time position at that news outlet where he covered the recovery process post Katrina in Pearl River and Hancock Counties. For nearly 17 years he wrote about local government, education, law enforcement, crime, business and a variety of other topics. Email Jeremy: jeremy@magnoliatribune.com
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Sarah Ulmer

Sarah is a Mississippi native, born and raised in Madison. She is a graduate of Mississippi State University, where she studied Communications, with an emphasis in Broadcasting and Journalism. Sarah’s experience spans multiple mediums, including extensive videography with both at home and overseas, broadcasting daily news, and hosting a live radio show. In 2017, Sarah became a member of the Capitol Press Corp in Mississippi and has faithfully covered the decisions being made by leaders on some of the most important issues facing our state. Email Sarah: sarah@magnoliatribune.com